Telegram-herald., 1887-07-12
A sAo YACHT DISASTER.
A Large Suusber of Ns~ 1ork ExoaFsAsa-
ists Dro~nea 0a basEsn isasnd-


ists Drssnea 0a basEs1 IsasEd-
NEv Yozx. Jelly il--Ths sloop yacht
Mystery lelt Raiis Bar an i>lznd N caazF-
sis Bay, a. O'Clock lass evening loaded
almost 70 the gsns4ies vita wonsn and
ehildrea. When oa BaFrea islsnd the
yacht espsizsd and Only thtrteen of The
forty souls CON posing her passengers aud
crew are known - have been rescued. tae
party which was involved ia this terrible
disaster sss made up chi.sss 0f OsfaaAn
families. The sun Was just sinkins when
the passengers of the Aystsay and Christina
gathered on khe pier 10 sfa'1zrs. for Cansrsse.
Many men Df the party saoced The effects
OF the beer, and the skip,ers thought Il best
u put the women ana children aboard TIE
Ny steFy much safer b0st than tie eon-
sort. The women protested. but their pro-
test was Gnheeded.
Capt Hen Erickson. OF the Mystery. said
that be was going TO get 70 Csnarsie rrst or
blow q stick out Mrs. Swit1er. OF Green
Point earnestly protested against more sail,
as the boat fas already keeling la way
that frightened the women. Capt Hen
Erickson declared that ne could sail the
Mystery thr rbugn the gale and persisted IA
his order The roof knots were unfsslened
and the boom dropped just as squsll Of
considerable violence struck the sail. la q
second she Mas on beam ends and all the
people were struggling in the ehoppy sea.
The catas irophe wss Witnessed from the
tug J. &. Dean. which was then over tHO
miles away For i've minutes the yacht
remained on her beam end, and the shrouds
and bnlwar ks afforded some hold for the
engulfsd people. The struggles 5ere awful.
Fully halt of the drowning people were
children. Mothers made frantic efforts 10
get their little ones To where they could hold
on TO something. One after another they
were swept OF in the tideway, buoyed by
their clothing, their hands waving IN fran
tic and unafailing appeals fo- help. Before
the Dean got near enorgh 10 be of use a
negro put opt from Barren Island in row
boat, and was the first 10 aid the drownip z
people. Seyen of the lives saved are 10 be
credited 10 his efforts. When the Dean ar
rived there were few OF the victims still
above the surface. As she neared woman
floating, trying 10 buoy up her four-yeaf old
child, "a man on the guards suddenly ex-
claimed. MY God, that is my wife" and
diyed to her aid.
The woman had lost her grip on the
child and was about sinking when her hus-
band reached her. He had the choice OF
saving her or his child. aud he chose the
wife. He and she were soon drawn aboard
the tug Dean, but the child sank before
their eyes. The next person grappled was a
woman of middle age who had been kept on
the surface by her stoutness She, however,
was SO exhausted that she died in few
minutes after she was brought aboard the
tug. A child and another woman also died
after they were taken out The Dean S
crew rescued five persons.
The number of lives lost will not be less
than twenty-five and Is likely TO reach
twenty seven.
The party was known as the Crescent
yacht club, a nominal organization simply
| for the purposes of chowder party oil
picnic. The members are scarcely able to
tell the particulars of the make up of their
own party.
The nu mber of invited guests, known
only to the persons who extended the in.
| vitations and not TO the others, makes il
| impossible even vet 10 give list of the
passengers Of the ill-fated yacht. The best
advices estimate the whole load at thirty
seven, and the number OF those saved is ten
There Is no room tor the belief that any
| rescues were made beyond those accomplish
| ed by the heroic work of the colored sailor
| Robinson and the woman who was sayec
by her husband.